The Swedes have won the Starladder i-League

18 January 2016

The Grand Final of CIS Starladder i-League in Counter Strike: Global Offensive and DOtA 2 was held in sports complex “Minsk-Arena” in Minsk on 17 January 2016. It was organized by e-sports multifunctional gaming platform Starladder, which has turned the tournament into a tremendous show.

The event started with a grandiose opening ceremony, featuring a spectacular laser light show, following which the Champions Cup was presented. After teams had been introduced, the most intense battles of the season started. Competitions were held primarily in two main disciplines. The huge arena gathered 15 thousand fans, who were breathlessly watching the best players fighting for valuable cash prices.

According to the results of the tournament the Swedish e-sports team Fnatic grinded out a victory over the Ukrainian team Natus Vincere in Starladder i-League in CS:GO. Another Swedish team, Alliance won the championship in DOtA2.

Fnatic had to fight against Natus Vincere on de_dust2 map, which until recently has been considered to be almost ‘native’ for Ukrainian team. However NA'VI lost both rounds with a lopsided score.

The first battle ended up with a score of 16:3 for the Swedes. The second round was also a lopsided loss for Ukrainian team – the Swedes won with a score of 16:7, getting a champion title of Starladder i-League 2016 in CS:GO.

In the final battle in DOtA 2 the Swedes (Alliance team) fought against the American champions Evil Geniuses. In the first round Scandinavian e-sportsmen quickly and very technically hammered the US team, earning the first winning point. The second round proved the excellence of Swedish strategy - Evil Geniuses began to lead the way in the quantity of murders, but Alliance managed to reach their opponents’ base, opening the upper approach lane. In several minutes they penetrated the bottom lane and finished the Americans off with a final strike in the center. As far as the opponents’ base was destroyed, a technical victory was awarded to the Swedes, even despite the fact that they were behind on points. Thus, the champion title of Starladder i-League 2016 in DOtA 2 was given to the Swedish team as well.

For the win in CS:GO tournament Fnatic got a prize of $200 thousand. Alliance got $350 thousand for winning in DOtA2.

In conclusion we would like to note the high level of tournament organization and the unforgettable performance, for which gratitude should be expressed to the e-sports platform Starladder and “Minsk-Arena”.